I’ve been bookbinding again, and now I’m wondering why it’s been such a long time since I last made a book–I am so happy when I’m binding. And I just learned a new binding from The Center for Book Arts called a laced case binding. It doesn’t use any glue, so there’s no mess and you can take it apart (if you’re ever crazy enough to want to). I made two of them. The first one I actually did use a little glue on because I used ribbons instead of paper tapes so I could tie it closed:

Mmm . . .

Ahhh . . .

The second one I did was honestly non-adhesive. You just sew the book like a normal case binding, but instead of linen tapes or ribbon, you use a nice cover-weight paper like elephant skin (made from Tyvek, not elephants), then weave the tapes through the cover to attach.

The stiff paper tapes hold the book block in pretty well.

On the turn-ins for the cover, instead of gluing them down, you make interlocking tabs that form a little pocket.

You can insert the first and last couple of pages into this pocket if you're worried about the book block slipping out.

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About sappling

When God created the world, he did it in six days and rested on the seventh. I always wished there was just one more day in the week, an eighth day just for me to pursue the thoughts in my head and translate them to the physical world. There are only seven days, however, so I steal my creative moments in between being a mom and my work binding books and making boxes for clients all over New York City. I love working with my hands, learning new things, and I'm here to share those lessons with you. There are only seven days in a week. Why not eight? Guess I'll ask when I get there.

3 Responses to Laced Case Binding

Sure. Depending on the material, how old the book is, and whether you want to preserve the binding or rebind it, it’s not that different from making a new book. Why? Got a special book that’s falling apart?